1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to interactive toys, and particularly to interactive talking dolls.
2. Related Background Art
For centuries, toy dolls or action figures have enamored children of all ages. In their most basic forms, they have resembled the appearance of a person without life-like characteristics. Over the years, toy dolls and action figures have become much more sophisticated incorporating the latest technology to add qualities such as movement and speech. Previous toys have moved its arms, legs, and body and also recited pre-recorded words or phrases upon a child""s touch such as squeezing. While the addition of such animated sequences enhanced children""s enthusiasm for these toys, they did little to add a touch of life-like reality.
These toys share a common limitation, which is that, the interactions between the figures and the children are limited to a pre-defined set of scenarios such as hugging and laughing. In each interaction between the figure and child, the pre-defined scenario is repeated over and over. Prior art dolls have been incapable of initiating activities to solicit a child""s response and recognizing various types of inputs which resemble real life activities so as to render a much more realistic life-like figure.
Developers of electronic toys have tried to enhance the concept of a more dynamic and realistic interaction between the child and the toy. Earlier hand-held interactive electronic games so-called xe2x80x9cvirtual palsxe2x80x9d (and variations such as xe2x80x9cvirtual petsxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cdigital petsxe2x80x9d, etc.) generally comprise of small palm-size units having a liquid crystal display and a number of push buttons for user interactive inputs. The electronic game is programmed to simulate the growth of an animated character (e.g., an animal such as a dog, or a human such as a child) over an accelerated period. Specifically, the character is programmed to undertake certain simulated activities, such as eating, sleeping, playing, expressing emotions, falling sick, etc. The object of the game is for the player to periodically attend to the character""s needs so as to raise the character successfully over a certain period of time.
The game unit has a display that displays information concerning, for example, the state of the game (e.g., welfare of the character, age, etc.), the character""s animated expression and behavior, and the character""s reaction to each user input. The character""s activities, behaviors and interactions with the player are governed by a set of preprogrammed gameplay rules. The user selects and executes the activities by activating the buttons on the game unit, via an icon and/or menu driven based on-screen user interface. Specific interactions may include periodically feeding the child food and drinks when she is hungry, playing with the child to keep her happy, giving her medicine when she is sick, cleaning her when she is dirty, etc. The face of the child is displayed to show the expressions made by her face.
These games share a common limitation, which is that, the communications between the characters and players are limited to visual display of the characters and synthetic audio alarms or warning tones when certain events have been triggered. The display may be the only effective medium for communicating the status of the game and the state of the character to the player. The player must pick up the game unit and refer to the display to check the status of the character and game.
The xe2x80x9cTalking-Nano,xe2x80x9d a virtual pal type electronic game developed by Playmates Toys, Inc., added audio speech capability to the earlier games and significantly improved realism of the hand-held games. It independently solicits input from the child. However, by the nature of a palm-sized game, it does not manifest the physical attributes of a character.
It is desirable to create a toy having a more natural form of interaction to render more realism in a virtual environment. This would add another dimension to the toy, such that player/toy interactivity and realism of the toy may be improved to increase a child""s enjoyment.
The present invention provides a new dimension to the prior art interactive talking doll. Specifically, the present invention adds a dimension of interactive identification to the prior art interactive talking dolls. More specifically, the present invention recognizes various types of player inputs that resemble real life activities such as feeding, grooming, playing, dressing, etc. The present invention provides multi-stage interaction between the player and doll.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the interactive talking doll is programmed to simulate a child undertaking basic time-based daily activities and events that are pertinent to a child""s life. Input means are provided to allow the player to interact with the doll. The input means includes various play-pieces and sensors. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, audio attributes comprising simulated natural sounds are synchronized with the doll""s state of mind as it carries out its activities. The audio attributes may include messages, which may be specific words, phrases or sentences, or sound effects such as crying, whining, giggling, chewing, or drinking, which communicate to the player the doll""s actions, thoughts, feelings and emotions, for example. Coupled with the ability to recognize various inputs from the player, the doll has the ability for multi-stage interaction. For example, if the doll demands one type of care or item but the player gives another type of care or item, the doll recognizes the mistake and verbally prompts for the correct interaction.
The doll, which may depict a child, adult, animal or fantasy figure, contains in a stand alone configuration, a clock for setting the time of day and/or time of year, a speech synthesizer, a non-volatile memory, a loudspeaker, a number of child actuated sensors distributed about the doll and an internally carried battery operated, preprogrammed microprocessor in which the microprocessor contains, a program which replicates a nurturing play pattern by causing the microprocessor to command issuance of spoken requests or verbal statements from the doll relating to things that are appropriate to want or to do at a specific time of day or randomly as may be expected throughout the day, and, through the check of the child actuated sensors, is able to ascertain that the child has responded to such requests; and, should the child fail to respond appropriately, exhibits to the child, through verbal statements issued, a state of health and/or happiness consistent with such failure to respond that mimics the state of health and happiness of a real child so neglected, and, through further check of the child actuated sensors, detects that the child has furnished appropriate medicine or affection to the doll, and issues verbal statements indicating recuperation.
As an added feature the program also causes the microprocessor to respond to child initiated activity when the child actuates a child sensor, without a spoken request for the child being issued from the doll, and to give an appropriate response to the child regarding the activity initiated thereby by the child.
Additionally the program keeps track of such child initiated activities through monitoring the sensors, translating the count thereof into a display representing the doll""s state of healthiness and/or happiness.
As a further addition, the clock may be of the form of a programmable clock calendar. Birthday""s, holidays, local seasons, religious holidays, or religious events and the like may be programmed into the calendar, and the microprocessor program to make a check of the calendar. The repertoire of stored verbal messages may include those which may be correlated to such events or occasions so as to be spoken by the doll on the appropriate day or in anticipation thereof.
The interactive doll simulates the character of a live person or, in other embodiments m a fantasy figure or animal, in essence, simulating a living being that possesses respective human or animal qualities: displaying specific needs, tenderness, intelligence and/or understanding. The doll contains a clock or other timekeeping device and thereby knows of the time of day. It automatically enters a sleep mode at a preset sleep time during which the playtoy remains quiet, and wakens at a preset hour of the day, issuing a verbal statement to let the player know it is time to again play. By issuing a sequence of verbal requests from time to time to the player to take action of various kinds on or with the doll, determines the player""s compliance or noncompliance with each such request and issues a verbal message appropriate to such compliance or non-compliance. Some of the verbal requests made are of a kind that occur at a particular time of day in the life of the character being synthesized, such as a request for a food or beverage at breakfast time, lunch time or supper time. And, from time to time at its own initiative, the playtoy may issue verbal messages of affection to the player. That doll is accompanied by external objects that simulate a variety of foods, a beverage, medicine and the like, which the doll is to be applied by the player to the doll pursuant to specific verbal requests from the doll and the doll is able to identify those objects for enhanced interactive play with the player.